Entertainment

#WeWantWidow Protest Is The Greatest Thing Ever

by Maggie Malach

What do we want? More Black Widow! When do we want her? Now! Fans of Scarlett Johansson's Avengers character are diehard, and for good reason. Black Widow is a feminine force of power and, as a #WeWantWidow flash mob recently reminded the world, worthy of her own movie.

ComicBook.com reports that the campaign, which took place in multiple cities, was organized by Black Widow fan Kristin Rielly, who seems just as badass as the hero herself. As Rielly writes on her blog, she (and many others) believe Black Widow has evolved to be more than just a love interest.

“Black Widow is an important female superheroine in the Marvel universe and she deserves to be more than just a love interest at this point. She is a trained assassin with an incredible background story, turning from Russian espionage to joining the Avengers and saving the world. She should have her own movie and merchandise and Marvel should be proud at the opportunity to develop a character that girls can look up to. Unfortunately, even with all the Hulk-smashing internet outrage, it seems that Marvel and Disney are still not listening. So I’ve taken it upon myself to do something about it.”

I love that not only is Rielly addressing an extremely valid feminist issue, but she's doing so in a creative way. Assembling legions of Black Widow fans, dressed as the superhero, and pulling off a flash mob? I bow down to you.

Rielly's stance is especially insightful following a cringe-worthy interview given by Johansson's Avengers: Age of Ultron co-stars, Chris Evans and Jeremy Renner. As you may recall, the actors joked that Black Widow is a "slut" and a "whore." While Evans' apology appeared sincere, Renner didn't seem as fazed by the Internet's reaction. His statement following the incident was more of an apology that fans didn't get his joke, rather than admitting the remark itself was a mistake. While that simple "joke" isn't reflective of how people as a whole view Black Widow, it does stand as all the more proof that she deserves her own film, where she's having her own adventures, and not just there to play a support role in a male Avenger's movie.

In any event, now is definitely the time to start giving Black Widow some serious recognition. The flash mob is physical evidence that there are plenty of Avengers fans who will line up to see Scarlett Johansson kick some villain butt.

Image: InkAmazon/Twitter